Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories
by yesliterally
Summary: Izzie starts out on new chapter in her life in a new city. She knows that only one thing could make life in Savannah better. Alex/Izzie. FINAL TWO CHAPTERS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

This is my first multi-chapter Grey's story. So far its up to at least eight chapters, probably more. And I have a sequel planned as well.

I don't own anything! If I did, Ava, Denny and Olivia would be locked away in a dungeon somewhere.

I got this idea when I attended a conference for work in Savannah, Georgia. I absolutely fell in love with the city and I can't wait to go back. The story is very much an **Alex/Izzie** story (although the others are involved ... and the sequel will be ensemble). It takes place about a year or so after the end of season 4.

Izzie takes on a new city and a visitor from Seattle makes her life there even more enjoyable. Please leave reviews, or I might be tempted to leave the story incomplete. Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm leaving Seattle."

She hadn't intended to blurt it out. It just came.

Four sets of eyes looked up at her, shocked. They stared silently for what seemed to Izzie like hours.

"Somebody say something ... please?"

"Seriously?!" Meredith finally said, quietly but urgently.

"Why?" Cristina asked.

George and Alex just watched her, waiting for an answer.

"I've done everything that I can do with the Clinic here. Lexie is more than prepared to take over for me. I ... Clinics like this one are needed all over the place, not just here in Seattle. Last week, when I took my vacation time, I went to an interview. Actually it wasn't really an interview. They sought me out. I went there and ... They need me. They need a clinic. I can really help people there."

"Where?" George finally broke his silence.

"It's a great opportunity ... I couldn't turn it down."

"Izzie, where is it?" Meredith pressed.

"Well ... "

"Look Barbie, tell us where it is so that we can tell you why you shouldn't go there."

"Cristina, I have to go."

"WHERE?!"

Izzie turned and looked at George, surprised at his outburst, and slowly opened her mouth to respond.

"Savannah."

"As in Georgia? Izzie, you'll die of heat stroke down there! Plus, have you ever seen a little movie called 'Deliverence'?"

She looked at Cristina wearily.

"That's the best you could come up with?"

"Give me time, I'll come up with something better."

"Izzie," Meredith spoke up, "it's not that we don't think its a great opportunity, its just ... why does it have to be so far away? You're part of our family."

"And I still will be, but Meredith, you didn't go there. You didn't see how much this is needed. The city is beautiful and historical and all, but there is an inner city, too. And twenty minutes outside of town is some of the poorest rural farm areas in the country. They need a clinic. They need someone to run it ... someone who knows how to run a clinic. I know how to do that. I learned it from Bailey, and now its my turn to take the lead. I need to do this. It won't be for forever. I'll be back, I just have to do this for me."

She looked over her friends' faces. Meredith looked sad, but understanding. Cristina looked pissed. George looked like someone stole his puppy. And Alex ... for once, she couldn't read the face of the man seated next to her. It momentarily crossed her mind that she should have given him a warning about this. But she didn't. She regretted that.

They sat in tense silence for the next few minutes, munching on their food, until George and Meredith's pagers went off simultaneously.

"It's Mr. Carlen. We have to go."

They left without saying another word.

Cristina looked from Alex to Izzie and back again before getting up herself. As she left, she mumbled to herself, "Yeah, don't want to be around for this."

The pair sat encased in the silence that had covered the table, unable to look at each other.

Finally, Izzie couldn't take it anymore. She turned, watched him move the pasta around his plate and started the conversation that neither of them wanted to have.

"Alex ... please. Just say something."

He continued to stare at the table, so she put her hand to his cheek, forcing him to look at her.

"Please."

"Fine, what do you want me to say? That I'm happy for you? That I want you to go? Because I'm not going to say that ... you know I'm not."

"I know that," she responded quietly.

"What about us, Iz? Did you stop for one second to think about what's good for us? For the first time, we've got it together. It took us too many tries to get it right just let it all go."

She knew he was right. First it was Olivia, then Denny, then Rebecca, and now ... she would be the one to cause them to fall ... again. It had been a year since Rebecca was sent to the institution. It had taken him months to get back on his feet. But she was always there for him. She knew from the moment that he had cried on her shoulder, sitting on his bed that she always would be there for him. And the fact was, she needed him as much as he needed her.

They just naturally and slowly grew together again. Their friendship became stronger than ever and grew into a passionate affair that was greater than anything either of them had ever experienced. The past six months had been the best six months of either of their lives, and they both knew it.

And now ...

"Why didn't you just tell me about this," he said, looking back down at his now cold food. She could tell he was angry. "We could have talked about it. Figured it out."

"I know. I'm sorry. I was ... scared."

He sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You've accepted the job?"

"Yesterday."

Tears threatened to fall from her glassy eyes.

"Okay."

He rose from the table, scraping the feet of his chair against the cement. He walked away, not looking back, not kissing her goodbye as per their usual.

She watched him go, and immediately began to question her decision.

_No_, she told herself. _This is what I have to do. This isn't about Alex_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Part 2 - same disclaimer as before.

The gang gets together to say goodbye to Izzie.

* * *

The next two weeks flew by, and between contacting the movers, packing her belongings and officially turning over clinic duties to Lexie Grey, she hardly had time to dwell on Alex. They still shared a bed, but a chasm had formed between them. They didn't make love, they barely even touched at night.

Izzie tried, but was unable to get him back. She knew he was hurt. She had hurt him ... again.

He overlooked the boxes scattered around the room they shared. He ignored the phone calls she made in preparation of opening the new clinic. He didn't avoid her, but he wouldn't, couldn't let her in. It just hurt too badly.

Finally, the day came when most of her things, with the exception of her suitcase full of clothes and a carry-on had been loaded onto a moving truck. The movers pulled out of the driveway of Meredith's house just twelve hours before her flight was to leave from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport bound for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, where she would make the connection to her final destination. Her plane left at 6 am.

The gang gathered in Meredith's kitchen for one last night together. Izzie sat at the table with George, Lexie, Bailey, Derek and Meredith. Cristina and Callie were each perched on a bar stool, while Mark was leaning against the island behind them. Alex hovered just inside the doorway, clearly not wanting to be there.

Wine, beer and tequila (for Meredith) flowed freely, as the group was determined to enjoy themselves, despite this being a going away party.

Over the past weeks, her friends, even Alex to a certain extent, had come to accept that Izzie was going, and were almost excited about her adventure. They knew this was what she needed to do, and they wanted to be supportive.

"Okay, so because you are leaving us for good tomorrow, Izzie, we got you some gifts." Meredith said, with a slight slur. "This one is from me and Derek."

She handed her a green bag tied with white ribbon. Inside was Izzie's favorite coffee ... one that she knew she wouldn't be able to get outside of Seattle.

"Oh, thanks so much, you guys!"

"When you run out, just let us know, and we'll keep you supplied until you get tired of the heat, humidity and giant bugs and come home," Derek said.

Izzie smiled as she was handed another gift. It was flat and wrapped in natural butcher paper, tied with a big blue organza ribbon.

"George and I worked on this one together, Izzie."

"Thanks, Lexie," the blonde replied as she untied the bow.

Inside was a folder full of interesting facts about Savannah that George and Lexie had researched over the internet. Included were a list of restaurants, places to shop, attractions and parks. There were also gift cards for restaurants and stores. In the back was a map of the city and the state of Georgia.

"Oh wow! You guys put a lot of work into this. I need all the help I can get. When I went last time, I didn't get to do too much sight-seeing. Plus, you know how I am with directions."

Everyone laughed at this, knowing how true it was.

The gifts kept coming.

Cristina had taken the time to put together a Southern Survival kit. She included bug spray, a hand held fan, water bottle, a fly swatter, a Waffle House menu, allergy medicine, barbecue sauce, Lynard Skynard CD and DVD versions of both 'Gone With The Wind' and 'Deliverence'.

"You really think I'm going to wind up on a boat with Ned Beatty, don't you?"

"I just want you to be prepared."

"You sound like a girl scout, Yang. Hmmm. Yang in a scout troop uniform. Mini skirt maybe?"

"Shut up, Sloane!" Cristina exclaimed, as Callie turned and shot him a look.

The Chief gave Izzie an address book withe names of doctors in the area that were friends of his, along with their phone numbers, in case she ever needed an extra hand. He also told her there would be a well-deserved bonus in her last pay check.

Bailey had bought her books and magazines for the flight and layover along with a handwritten card that Izzie read silently, causing her to tear up.

Mark and Callie bought her a few bottles of vintage wine from their recent trip to Napa.

Unbenounst to anyone, Alex had slipped out of the room at some point during the gift-giving. Izzie looked around, and when Cristina saw who was missing, she quickly brought attention away from the awkwardness.

"So, how are you getting all of this stuff to Savannah?"

"Uh, I don't know. I guess you guys are going to have to mail it to me. Is that okay?" She gave up on hoping Alex would come back to the party.

"I think we can handle it."

It was late when everyone retreated out the front door, but they knew they had to leave so that Izzie could get some sleep before her trip. The all gave her hugs and kisses and well-wishes and promises to keep in touch.

"Bye guys!" She waved once more as the last of the group, except for Derek and Meredith left. She said good night and left the two lovebirds on the porch. She knew that Meredith was staying there tonight, so that she could tell her goodbye in the morning before Alex took her to the airport.

Alex.

She ran upstairs to their room and was devastated to find him already in bed, facing away from the door. She changed in the dark and slipped in next to him. She quietly whispered his name, but he didn't move. She tried again, but to no avail.

Finally she lay down, her back to his, not knowing that the tears falling from her eyes mirrored the ones falling from his. This is how they slept until the alarm went off a few hours later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Same disclaimer as before ...

Alex and Izzie get their last chance to talk before she leaves. Also, this is a VERY short chapter, but I will update again soon. Thanks for the reviews, they are really helping with my writing process. Keep 'em coming!

* * *

"Flight 326 to Atlanta is now boarding at gate 12. Flight 326 to Atlanta is now boarding at gate 12."

Izzie took in a deep breath and clutched his hand. He gripped her hand just as tightly. They stood up, and she picked up her carry on, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Iz," he started, knowing this was his last chance. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way that I did. I just ..."

"No, Alex, I'm sorry. I wasn't fair to you. I shouldn't have kept this from you."

The tears that had been threatening all morning began to fall in their final moments together. He pulled her into his embrace, and rubbed her back as she cried.

"Regardless, I've been an ass these past two weeks, and you didn't deserve it. You are just trying to make a difference, and I wanted to hold you back. I don't want to do that anymore. Listen to me." He pulled back to look into her eyes. "Do what you need to do, I'll be here when you need me. No matter what, we're always going to be friends. We don't need to plan how this is going to work. Let's just go with it, and see where it takes us."

"Final boarding for Flight 326 at gate 12. Final boarding for Flight 326 at gate 12."

Izzie looked over at the line that was quickly shortening.

"Okay. We'll just see where it takes us. I do love you. You know that right?"

"I love you too."

He kissed her soundly, but gently, and then they parted.

She started to turn away, but he grabbed her hand once more.

"I almost forgot, Iz. I got you something."

He handed her a small flat wrapped box, tied with a pink bow.

"You can open it on the plane."

She smiled at him, her tears gone.

"Thank you, Alex. For everything."

He winked at her and flashed her his sweetest smile.

"You'd better go."

She grasped his hand one final time and walked toward the line to board.

"Hey, watch out for mosquitoes. I hear they're killer down there," he yelled after her.

"Don't get waterlogged up here," was her response.

She handed her ticket to the lady in the dark suit, turned gave him one last smile, and walked through the doors.

Alex stood there until the doors closed, oblivious to the singular tear, the one that he had held back all morning, slowly dripping across his face. Somehow, he knew that everything would be fine.


	4. Chapter 4

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Izzie gets to know Savannah and hears from Seattle. I told you that I would add another chapter soon. I love reviews, so keep reviewing so I will post more! I have all ready written over 10,000 words in this story, which is approximately 11 chapters, and I'm only about 1/3 of the way through what I have planned. So bear with me!

* * *

Izzie's first month in Georgia was filled with apartment hunting (the hospital had put her up in a hotel for the first two weeks), clinic planning, and simply adjusting to a completely different lifestyle.

She found an apartment that she loved on the outskirts of town, close to the Atlantic Ocean, with a screened-in back porch that overlooked the salt marshes. She found that she spent most of her free time on the porch with a book or a magazine or a medical journal, just listening to the crickets chirping.

Inside the apartment was open and spacious, with a large kitchen, perfect for baking. She decorated the great room in gold-tone neutrals with chocolate brown accents. Her bedroom was mostly reds and pinks and the double bathroom was decked out in blue and green stripes.

It was a decent drive into town, but the apartment was perfect for her. She loved everything about it.

What she wasn't loving was all of the meetings she had to attend to get the clinic up and running. She was a doctor, yet she was stuck in conference rooms all day long. Wearing business suits rather than scrubs. It was a big adjustment.

Fortunately, the hospital was thrilled to be getting the addition of the clinic, so she hadn't been met with any unforeseen difficulties. She had met with the Hospital Board on numerous occasions, discussing the logistics of the building, who her patients were, and staffing. Pretty much everyone she met was gracious and seemed excited to have her there.

Dr. Daniel Whalarman, the chief of the ER, was the man who had initially contacted Izzie about the clinic in Savannah. His sister lived in Seattle and told him about the clinic there. He did his research and found Izzie, and had been helpful ever since she moved here. He was in his mid- forties with slightly greying goatee and a completely bald head, and spoke with an extreme southern drawl.

His wife Carolyn, a short and cute brunette, was a stay at home mom to their twins daughters Alana and Mariah but had taken Izzie as a friend the moment they met. She had invited her to brunch on several occasions and dinner at least once a week since their introduction. Izzie had almost become a part of the family.

Sure, it was different from spending time with the gang back in Seattle, but everything was different. Most of the people her age were married or with someone, and she wasn't in that circle. The Whalarmans became her closest friends.

Everything moved a little bit slower here. People weren't so frantic about everything. Izzie had quickly adjusted to the hospitality of the South, and found she fit in perfectly. Well, except for her accent, which many of the born-andbred southerners at the hospital would often make fun of in jest.

She had fallen in love with the city itself. For the first few weeks, whenever she had a spare moment, she went out exploring. RiverStreet, the Marketplace, Forsyth Park, haunted Bonaventure Cemetery (in broad daylight) ... she loved getting acquainted with the city. She found she loved visiting the 200-year-old homes that were open for touring. The only thing she didn't do was take a carriage ride around downtown. It was too depressing to do that alone.

She would spend hours on her days off walking up and down the beach on nearby Tybee Island. Her favorite spot was on the southern-most tip of the island, secluded and away from the main pier. Here the wind blew a little stronger and the current was a little swifter, and Izzie could just lose herself in the beauty of nature.

But her days off were rare, most of her time was spent in her temporary office, being used until the clinic was finished being built. She occasionally was invited into a surgery, but more often than not, she was so flooded with paperwork and budgets that she couldn't even think about going into an OR.

Her biggest reprieve was the daily phone calls, texts and emails from Seattle. George, Meredith, and Cristina took turns each calling her twice a week, and she talked to Alex at least that many times. They kept her informed of all the Seattle Grace gossip and the interesting cases they were working on.

Cristina would often complain about Meredith's baking or cooking skills, as she had moved into the extra bedroom at Meredith's. Alex would complain about being stuck with the annoying twins 24/7 and then he'd tell her how much he missed her. Meredith would fill her in on the house that was in the process of being built on Derek's land. George was just George and always made her laugh.

That sunny day in early June was no exception.

"George, I'm not even going to ask how she got her hand stuck in there."

"Yeah, you don't want to know. So what's the temperature down there."

Izzie rolled her eyes. He was forever taunting her about the heat.

"99 with 97 percent humidity. Heat index of 113. I live in a sauna."

"Well, here its 68 degrees and the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing. It might cloud up and rain later too."

"Shut up."

"So ... Alex said that the clinic was almost ready to open."

Izzie smiled at the mention of Alex. Her hand immediately went to the delicate silver necklace around her neck. She had fallen in love with the piece of jewelry the moment she opened it on the plane. It was a simple chain, but the pendant was a flawless round opal.

"Yeah, we found out yesterday that we should be up and running next week. I can't wait. I finally feel like I've accomplished something in my life. Oh, and another new development that just happened today. We're going to have some outreach clinics in some of the rural areas outside of town."

"That's awesome Izzie. Look I hate to go, but I just got paged 911, so I'll talk to you later in the week."

"Okay. Bye George."

She always hated hanging up, but they have lives to lead and people to save.


	5. Chapter 5

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

A "friend" visits Izzie in Georgia. You know I love to hear what you think! Please review!

* * *

"Meredith, this was not your best cooking attempt."

"Then you cook, Alex. I'm Meredith Grey, not Rachael freakin' Ray."

"Mere, he's totally right. A homeless guy would refuse this crap," Cristina said from her seat across from Alex.

"Thanks for the support guys. And since when do you two agree on anything?"

"Somethings people just can't argue about, even me and Evil Spawn."

"Fine. I'll order a pizza!"

Meredith turned her back to grab the phone and missed the high five her roommates gave each other.

"So what are you going to do with your week off?"

Alex looked at the woman across from him with a confused look on his face.

"Huh?"

"Your vacation days that you haven't used. They automatically go on the schedule if you haven't used them by a certain date. According to the calendar, you have next week off. You really didn't know?"

"I hadn't paid too much attention, I guess."

Cristina could tell exactly where his mind went when it registered that he had seven full days away from work.

"Do what you can to get her back here before we starve to death because of Meredith's cooking?"

He grinned at her and walked out of the room to book a plane ticket. He had his surprise visit all mapped out by the time the pizza arrived.

* * *

It was quiet. Most of the time, Izzie enjoyed the quiet. But restlessness had overtaken her. She sat on her back porch listening to the hum of the insects in the nearby salt marsh. The sun had just set and things were peaceful and quiet but she couldn't concentrate on the laptop in front of her.

Things were going well. The clinic had opened nearly three weeks ago, and was a huge success from the get-go. Too well, in fact, which was why she was spending her evening trying to write up a grant proposal for more money. This administrative work wasn't fun, but Izzie knew it was worth it. The people of the area really did need the clinic and her patients were a daily reminder of why she was doing what she was doing.

But she couldn't help but think about her friends back in Seattle. Cristina was probably trying to get in on one of Hahn's surgeries. George was probably in the clinic with Lexie, Meredith ... maybe in an on-call room with Derek. And Alex was probably either up in the NICU or already off and hanging out a Joe's. She missed them all desperately, more than she cared to admit.

She still spent any social time with the Whalarman's and their girls.They had a beautiful farm 45 minutes south of the city, and it was a great place to spend time. But it didn't replace Joe's.

She sighed as she looked down at her computer screen. Back to work on a Friday night, she thought.

The bleating of her phone beside her kept work from progressing any further. She picked up her cell, not bothering to look at the caller ID. She knew that ring.

"How did you know I needed someone to talk to right now?"

"Lucky guess," Alex said on the other end of the line.

"You know me too well."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. Bored. Sitting on my back porch listening to crickets chirping and working on grant proposals, again."

"Iz, you're turning into a secretary. You know that, right."

"These things have to be done. And I'm not a secretary!"

"Okay, whatever."

"Shut up. So what are you doing? Hanging out at Joe's? About to go into surgery?"

"Neither. Right now I am walking around a friend's apartment building trying to find her back porch, and wondering why she's working outside in this heat and humidity. And why she can't hear when someone knocks on her front door."

Izzie was confused until she saw a shadowy figure appear just to the right of her screen porch door.

He continued talking, but hung up the phone, eyes fixed on the former model in front of him.

"I also want to know how she can survive all of these bugs down here. It's crazy."

The blonde hung her phone and smiled at him as he moved into the glow from the porch light, bag thrown over his shoulder.

"You get used to it," she said simply.

She suddenly and quickly moved to the door, threw it open, and buried herself in his open embrace. He kissed her forehead and they continued to hug for a few moments.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had some vacation days I had to take or lose, so here I am. Its not a problem is it?"

"Are you kidding? It's perfect. Oh, I missed you!"

"Everybody misses you, too. Cristina told me to drag you back just so you could cook for us."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the porch.

"Meredith's cooking that bad?"

"Worse. So this is your place. It's nice."

"Yeah, let me show you the rest."

She gave him the grand tour, which didn't take too long. They stopped in the kitchen and he saw a plate of blueberry muffins sitting on the counter. Without even asking, he grabbed one and stuffed half of it into his mouth.

She moved and sat on the counter next to the muffins and laughed as he inhaled the pastry with a look of ecstasy on his face. Then he grabbed a second one.

"You have no idea how much I've missed these."

"You've missed me because of the muffins?"

"Well, that's not the only reason, but right now its the important one."

She smacked his shoulder with her hand in mock annoyance.

"Have you eaten dinner?"

"I'll just eat a few more muffins, and I'll be set."

"Are you sure, I can throw something together."

"Really. I'm fine, Iz."

They fell into a comfortable silence as Alex ate two more muffins.

"Coffee?"

"Sounds great."

She started the coffeemaker and then lead him to her comfy brown suede sofa.

"So ... why are you really here?"

"I wanted to see you. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Alex."

He leaned over and touched her cheek with a gentle hand.

"How long can you stay?"

"My plane leaves Thursday night. So, you've got a little less than a week to show me what is so great about this place."

"I think I can handle that."

She noticed that they were closer together than they were when they first sat down, and a wave of familiarity came over her. Things felt right again. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, softly at first. The kiss became more urgent as her hands came up and framed his face, pulling him closer. His hands moved from her face to her hips, moving every inch of her toward him. He eased her backward so that she was lying down on the sofa and he was essentially on top of her.

The moment was interrupted by the buzz of the coffeemaker as it finished making the pot.

Alex groaned as he pulled his lips from Izzie's and placed his forehead against hers.

"Dammit," she hissed as he rolled off of her so that she could go turn of the appliance. He leaned he head against the back of the sofa and watched her sprint to the kitchen.

"You still want coffee?" she asked, breathlessly.

"No."

"Good. Me neither," she said as she poured the entire pot down the sink.

She walked back into the living area stopping only long enough to grab his hand and pull him in the direction of her bedroom. He didn't resist.

"God, I've missed you," he said as he spun her around back into his arms just inside the bedroom doorway.

She responded by promptly placing her lips back on his.


	6. Chapter 6

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Izzie introduces Alex to her new life and new friends. By the way, I am loving all of these reviews! They really make me want to finish this story ASAP.

* * *

"Hey."

She opened her eyes slowly waking up next to him.

"Hey, yourself."

Izzie looked up at Alex with a girlish grin on her face.

"Dirty in my eyes?"

He nodded.

"Very dirty."

She glanced at her window and noted that it was still dark outside.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly three."

"So glad I don't have to go to work in the morning."

"Me too."

He sat back and just stared at her for a minute, grazing his eyes over her unclothed body. He reached out to touch the shimmer at her neck.

"I like seeing you in just that necklace."

"I love my necklace."

He kissed her gently on the lips again. Then he kissed her near the necklace and began to explore her in the most intimate ways again, later falling into an ardent slumber.

They were awakened five hours later to the sound of her cell phone ringing in the living room.

She groaned and pushed herself off the bed and onto the floor, not bothering with a robe or shirt. Alex enjoyed the view as she ran from the bedroom completely naked.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Izzie. It's Daniel."

"Oh no. What happened," She responded to Dr. Walarman.

"What makes you think something happened?"

"You never call this early on a Saturday morning."

"Nothing happened. But I do need you to come in ... "

Izzie groaned in protest.

" ... Just to sign the staffing form. It has to go in the mail today by noon, and somehow it slipped through the cracks."

She looked at Alex as he walked up beside her, dressed only in his boxers, holding her pale pink satin robe in his hands. She slipped her arms into it and he tied it into place. She looked into his eyes apologetically.

"Okay. I'll be over there in about two hours. Is that okay?"

"That's fine."

"See you then."

She hung up the phone and headed toward the kitchen where Alex had begun warming up two of the leftover muffins. He took them out of the microwave and handed one to her. They munched on them as she explained the phone call.

"Sorry about that."

"You have to go into work?"

"No, I just have to go up there to sign a stupid staffing report that I forgot to sign yesterday."

"See, you are a secretary, Iz."

She smacked his shoulder and told him to shut up.

"You are coming with me, and I'll show you that I am not just a secretary."

He grabs the same hand that she hit him with and smiles at her sweetly. "I know you're not a secretary, but it gets you riled up. Alex likes riled up Izzie."

She giggles and puts the last bit of her muffin in her mouth.

"What Izzie needs is a shower." She walks toward the bathroom and stops halfway there. She turns and runs her eyes up and down the man's semi-naked body. "Is Alex coming?"

"Alex is indeed," he said as he followed her quickly.

An hour and a half later, Izzie showed Alex around the clinic, introducing him to the doctors and nurses who were working that morning. They teased her about coming in in street clothes, not scrubs, taunting them on her day off. Alex looked at her in her snug fitting jeans, white linen baby doll top, and pink high heeled sandals. He like her in street clothes.

Izzie soon spotted Dr. Walarman talking to one of the interns.

"Daniel."

"There you are. I had Melissa leave the form on your desk for you to sign. Just give it to her before you leave. Sorry about not noticing it yesterday."

"No, it was my fault. I didn't double check."

She felt Alex's hand move slightly on the small of her back, and remembered her manners.

"Dr. Daniel Whalarman, this is Dr. Alex Karev, a very close friend from Seattle."

"Friend? Okay. Whatever you say Izzie." The former model had become close enough to his family that he could call her bluff. Plus, he recognized the younger man from the pictures in Izzie's office.

The two men shook hands as Izzie blushed and smiled.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Karev. Please call me Daniel."

"Call me Alex."

Alex wanted to dislike the other doctor because he had been the one to steal Izzie from Seattle, but he couldn't. Dr. Whalarman seemed to be a kind man and clearly, the woman was thriving in Savannah.

"Izzie, Carolyn wanted me to invite you to dinner tonight. She and the girls are out at the farm, and we were going to barbecue. We'd love for y'all to join us."

Izzie looked at Alex for a moment for confirmation and then turned back to Daniel.

"That sounds great. Same time?"

"Yeah. I'm working until 4, so we'll probably eat by about six thirty."

"Sounds great. Can I bring anything?"

"I can't speak for my wife and daughters, but that chocolate cake you brought last time was fantastic."

"You just don't want Carolyn to try and bake again."

The older man made a face at the thought of his wife's baking.

"I love her more than anything else in the world, but she the only Southern woman I know of who can't bake to save her life."

Izzie giggles and Alex just smiles, not knowing if Dr. Whalarman was complimenting his wife. Daniel's pager goes off at that moment, so he quickly excuses himself to the ER.

Izzie took Alex's hand and lead him to her office in the rear of the building. She sat at her desk and began reading over the form she had to sign.

"Nice office," he says as he looked around at the small but comfortable room. The walls were a deep peach color, and the furniture wasa light oak. The floral curtains on the windows gavethe room a distinctly feminine feel. Very Izzie. He glanced at her desk to find it filled with framed photos, all of the gang in Seattle.

There was one of Meredith, Cristina and Izzie at Joe's during one of their infamous girl's nights out. They were all clearly intoxicated. Next to that one was one of Izzie with George that she had taken soon after they started their internship. Another was of her with Bailey and the Chief, taken on her last day of work in Seattle.

The last one he picked up was his favorite. He had a copy of it framed next to his bed at the house. In the pewter frame, they were smiling and happy, wrapped in a warm embrace. They had been at out at Derek's land to celebrate the ground breaking of the home he was building for Meredith. Surrounded by friends, Lexie had managed to capture the perfect moment in that picture. That had been three months ago. He realized how much he missed being with her all of the time.

"All right. I'm done here. I just have to drop this off with Melissa on our way out."

Her voice pulled him from his reverie and he put the photo back in its place. She smiled as she sees what he was looking at.

"That's my favorite, too."

He just smiles and holds his hand out to her, and they walk out the door, turning the lights off as they go.


	7. Chapter 7

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

We meet more of Izzie's new friends. This is kind of a filler chapter, so I'll add the next one fairly quickly. Also, I'm am preparing for a friends wedding next week, so I will try to get up through chapter 9 posted before I leave. Don't panic when I don't update for 5 whole days. I'm not abandoning this story.

The sequel is already spinning in my head, so yes, that will come in time, too.

I'm loving the reviews!

* * *

Izzie was putting the finishing touches on the chocolate cake. She had bought fresh raspberries when she and Alex went to the market and was lining them up around the edge of the top of the cake. Alex walked out of the bedroom in jeans and a light blue tshirt that made the blonde appreciate his muscles even more.

"You almost done with the cake?"

She placed the final berry on the cake and stood up.

"Finished."

He looked her up and down and smiled. His smile quickly turned into a full on laugh.

"What?!"

"Nothing."

"Alex! You can't just stand there laughing at me without telling me what's so funny."

"I swear, I'm not laughing at you. It's just the dress ..."

She looked down at her pale green eyelet lace sundress and white sandals. Her hair was piled up on the back of her head in loose natural curls.

"You don't like my dress?" He could tell she was getting upset.

"No, Iz, I love the dress ... It's just you look like the quintessential sexy farmer's daughter fantasy."

"Oh." She searched his eyes. "Oh!"

He walked over to her and took her face in his hands. He kissed her soundly, but she backed away.

"I'm assuming you've had a few of those fantasies, yourself?"

"Well, when you said you were moving down here, it was either that or the fantasy of you in a big hoop skirt a'la Scarlett O'Hara. I like this one better ... although, I may just start calling you Scarlett."

She laughed and put a hand to his chest.

"Okay, Rhett. We'll have to put this fantasy on hold until we get back. We need to leave in few minutes."

He relented, but not before stealing another quick kiss.

* * *

"Uh, Iz. I was raised in Iowa. I know what a farm looks like. This ... is not a farm."

From the driver's seat, she could see his eyes widen as they turned onto the drive that was the entrance to the Whalarman's property.

"Farms don't have brick gates with names like "Alaniah" engraved in marble. They don't have driveways lined with hundred-year-old oak tree canopies."

With a grin on her face, she stayed silent as they rounded the final curve that would reveal the main house.

Alex's jaw dropped at the mansion ahead of them. It was a massive red brick building with six hugh white columns in the front, rising between the wide porch and the second floor balcony and up to the roof of the house.

"And they sure as hell don't have farmhouses that look like that!"

Izzie parked the car in front of the house on the wide round-about of asphalt that surrounded a large stone fountain. Alex got out of the car and looked around him, taking in his surroundings. The landscaping was impeccable, and the yard was filled with ancient pine trees and more of the moss-covered oaks. There was a flower garden to one side of the house.

Izzie grabbed the cake out of her back seat, walked up behind Alex and whispered in his ear.

"Okay, so its not a farm. Its a plantation. And its only their summer home. Now, pick your jaw up off the ground and carry this cake inside for me."

The couple climbed the beautiful brick staircase to the porch. Izzie was about to ring the door bell, but suddenly the large white front door swung open and she suddenly found herself surrounded by the arms of two young brunette girls.

"Miss Izzie! Miss Izzie!"

She laughed and knelt down to their level, hugging them back tightly.

"Hey you two! I missed you! How was camp?"

"Good."

"It was great. I got to ride horses everyday and I learned how to canoe."

"Oh, fun!"

Alex couldn't help but smile at Izzie's ease with the children. He watched them silently until one of the girls looked up at him.

"Who's that?" the smaller of the two asked.

Izzie stood back up, taking each girl by the hand.

"That is my friend Alex, from Seattle. Alex, these are my friends Alana and Mariah."

"Nice to meet you lovely young ladies." he said, managing to charm even the youngest females.

The smaller girl, Mariah, reached up to shake his hand, but the taller girl, Alana, just smiled at him from her place slightly behind Izzie.

"Are you Izzie's boyfriend?" Mariah continued her line of questioning.

Izzie choked back a giggle, and was about to respond when a petite woman with shoulder length auburn colored hair walked out the door scolding the precosious child.

"Mariah Lynn Whalarman! You know better than to ask things like that! Run out to the back and tell daddy that company's here."

"Yes, ma'am," the child said sullenly, and did as she was told.

"Alana, will you go find Peaches and put her in your room?"

"Yes, mama," the child said quietly. As she disappeared into the house, Carolyn stepped outside and gave Izzie a hug.

"Glad y'all could make it, Sweetie."

"Thanks for the invite."

"My husband told me your were bringing a, ahem, friend, but he didn't tell me that your friend was so handsome. "

"Carolyn, this Dr. Alex Karev."

"Well, I'm so glad you're here Dr. Karev."

Instead of the hand shake he was anticipating, the tiny woman stood up on her tiptoes and hugged him like he was a long lost brother. Though surprised, Alex handed the cake he had been holding in his left hand to Izzie, and reciprocated the hug with the stranger.

"Please call me Alex."

She moved away from him and stood back, clearly looking the two of them over approvingly.

"Don't y'all make quite the cute couple. Of course, you're both just far too pretty for your own good. Let's go inside and find Daniel."

The followed Carolyn into the house, and Alex was again overwhelmed by what he saw. A massive staircase curved into the huge living space that had obviously, over the last century and a half, housed its share of galas and cotillions The hardwood floors sparkled as if they had just been laid the day before. Marble adorned the walls, and while the feel of the room was very much classic old South, their was still a comfortable hominess about the place.

Daniel met them in the massive kitchen, which Alex imagined Izzie was salivating over the first time she saw it.

"Alex, good to see you again."

The two men shook hands and Daniel gave Izzie a quick hug.

"I brought cake."

"Thank God!"

"Daniel!"

"Sorry, honey."


	8. Chapter 8

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

This is a short continuation of the last chapter, setting up the events of the rest of Alex's visit.

I will be posting one more chapter at least before I'm gone for a week.

Keep reviewing!

* * *

Two hours later, when the sun was beginning to set and the steaks had been devoured, the four adults sat around the patio table, watching the two little girls play in the large swimming pool.

"So Alex, Izzie says that your a surgical resident. Have you picked a specialty yet?"

Alex leaned back in his chair, his left arm casually around the back of Izzie's chair.

"Well, I was sure when I started the program that I was going into plastics, but now I've decided on OB / neonatal."

"Interesting. That's quite a switch."

"Yeah. I tried to run from it, but it kept following me."

"He's fantastic at it."

Alex looked over at Izzie and he could tell that she was seriously proud of him. That made him happy.

"Iz."

"He just recently did an intestinal reconstruction on 27 week preemie."

"No, I assisted on one. I didn't do it myself."

"But still," Daniel spoke up, "its very impressive. You're setting yourself up for a great career. Hospitals are always in search of a compotent neonatal surgeon."

"I'm still learning, but I'm getting there."

"Dr. Chancey Bingham is one of my best friends. Maybe you've heard of him?"

"He's the most well respected neonatal surgeon in the country. I've read quite a few of his articles in the journals."

"We roomed together at Vanderbilt for three years. He was one of the groomsmen in our wedding. I'm sure he'd like to meet you. He's always looking for up-and-comers to mentor and give advice to."

Alex couldn't help but be impressed.

"That would be great."

"In fact, he's flying in Tuesday for our Fourth of July barbecue on Wednesday."

"Y'all are planning to come, right?" Carolyn said excitedly.

Izzie mentally berated herself for forgetting to let Carolyn know earlier that she could make it.

"Of course, we'll be there," she covered smiling.

She looked over at Alex to make sure that he didn't mind, and found him grinning like a kid in a candy store. He would get to meet Dr. Bingham, so she knew that he was okay with it.

"So, enough of that doctor stuff. Tell me the story."

"The story?" Izzie questioned Carolyn.

"Y'alls story. How did you meet and get together. Was it love at first sight?"

Alex and Izzie look at each other and began to laugh.

"Not ... not exactly. It's a really long story."

"Carolyn, they obviously don't want to talk about that. Leave them alone."

"Mama! Daddy! Miss Izzie! Mr. Alex! Look at me!" Mariah interrupted, jumping into the deep end of the pool with her legs curled up underneath her. She came up with a huge grin on her face. She threw her hands up in the air and shouted "Tada!"

All of the adults clapped and Mariah swam back over to her sister who was sitting on the shallow end steps.

"They're something aren't they?" Daniel commented to no one in particular.

"They're great," Izzie responded.

"How old are they?" Alex wondered.

"They're both eight."

Alex looked at Carolyn quizzically.

"They were preemies, but Alana was much bigger and healthier than Mariah. Al was just over 4lbs, but Ri only weighed 2lbs. For a while we were told she wasn't going to make it, but she's our strong one. She toughed it out and now look at her. She'll always be small but she's our big ball of energy."

"Al is their quiet one," Izzie told Alex.

"I've noticed."

"After we had them, we renamed this property for them 'Alaniah'. You know, a combo of both."

Alex remembered the marble engraved sign at the driveway.

"This land, the house," Carolyn continued, "its been in my family for over a century and a half. We renovated the house after we found out we were pregnant, because we knew that we'd want to spend summers out here."

"It really is an amazing property. I've never seen anything like it," Alex said honestly.

The four sat in comfortable silence, soaking in their surroundings, until Daniel spoke up.

"So, I think that cake that Izzie made needs to be eaten."

"I think so too," Alex agreed.

Far too quickly the night came to a close, and The Whalarmans were standing on their front porch waving to Izzie and Alex as they drove toward home.

"I like them."

"Aren't they great? Are you okay with going to the barbecue on Wednesday? I've got to go out to one of the outreach clinics on Monday. You can come with me if you'd like. Or you can stay in town if you'd prefer."

"No, I'll go with you."

"Good."

"And the barbecue sounds great."

"Apparently they have fireworks and everything. They really go all out."

"Sounds great. Plus, Chancey Bingham will be there."

"Ah, the ulterior motive."

"Do you blame me?"

"No," she smiled as she kept her eyes on the road in front of her.

"So, you're still in the dress," he said, changing the subject.

"Huh?"

"Sexy farmer's daughter fantasy."

She could feel his eyes all over her and she knew he was smirking at her. She said nothing, responding only by pushing the gas pedal a little harder, causing him to laugh heartily as they sped toward Izzie's apartment.


	9. Chapter 9

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

This is probably my favorite chapter so far. I absolutely fell in love with Tybee on my visit to the Savannah area, and this chapter stems from that. BTW, I finished the last scene of this story tonight, so now I just have a few spots to fill in. When I get back from my friends wedding, I'll probably be updating very quickly!

Izzie and Alex hit the beach. Izzie finds out how Alex really feels about her living in Savannah.

* * *

It was perfect beach weather. Izzie had known it would be the minute she woke up and looked out the window. She had been right.

Hours later, she and Alex were trudged down the beach on Tybee Island, away from the pier and away from the Sunday afternoon crowd.

"This spot looks great, Iz." Alex was about five steps behind Izzie carrying the umbrella, two beach chairs and a cooler. Izzie had a beach bag thrown over each shoulder and a water bottle in her hands.

The blonde kept walking, ignoring his protests.

Initially, neither of them noticed the stares of the other beach goers as they walked through the sand. Only the wolf whistle from a man in his sixties alerted them to the attention. Izzie's white bikini showed off only her best assets, and the blue sarong around her waist only enhanced her curves. For his part, Alex was getting plenty of stares from all the women on the beach, wearing green board shorts and a black wifebeater.

Izzie looked back at Alex and just grinned, agreeing with the other women on the beach.

Finally she stopped.

"Here."

They had walked nearly half a mile from the parking lot and had wound up on a wide expanse of sand. There were very few people on this section of the beach. This was the southern tip of the island that Izzie had fallen in love with on earlier trips to Tybee.

Alex put down their gear, and gazed around, instantly knowing why Izzie loved this place so much. In front of them, the dark Atlantic Ocean dominated the horizon. Aging wooden signs twenty feet into the water warned of the rough undercurrent that posed perpetual danger at this part of the island. The waves, though small, were powerful and crashed to shore with surprising intensity.

Behind them, rising up on a hill were some spectacular beach homes painted yellow or blue or green or white. These were clearly not homes that the middle class could afford.

"Apparently, Sandra Bullock and her husband own one of those homes."

Alex turned back to Izzie.

"Doesn't surprise me. This is amazing."

They set up their beach chairs and the umbrella and sat down to enjoy the sun and the breeze. Izzie opened a magazine in her lap and Alex lay on his stomach, eyes moving up and down her body. She didn't have to take her eyes off her reading material to know he was looking at her.

"You can stop staring at me anytime."

"Nope, I don't think so."

"You've seen it all before. Hell, you saw it all last night."

"Yeah, but you weren't in a barely there bikini in front of the whole world."

She finally turned and looked at him in the eyes and knew what he wanted.

"No! Alex ... we can't! This is a public place."

"The danger is half the fun. We've got blankets. We can cover up."

"You can't be serious!"

He just leered at her, wishing that he wasn't lying on his stomach. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Alex, no. I am not going to have sex with you on a public beach where there are children."

"Come on, Iz. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back at my house."

"So it's not going to happen, huh?"

"No!"

They spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around in the sand making small talk and simply enjoying each others company. As the sun began its long descent behind the houses, Izzie stood up.

"Let's go for a walk."

"A walk on the beach at sunset. You are so cliche."

"Shut up, Alex."

She began to walk away from him and didn't see him leave his chair and run to catch up. Therefore, she was not prepared when he grabbed her from behind and lifted her into his arms.

"Alex!"

He kissed her softly on the lips and spun around as the waves crashed around his feet.

"Stop, you're going to make me dizzy."

She swatted his bare chest playfully and leaned back in for another kiss. He put her feet back in the wet sand and proceeded to kiss her more intensely.

Suddenly she broke away from him and took off in a near-sprint down the beach laughingly urging him to keep up. He reached her, but she had stopped, so the force of his run brought them both to the ground giggling like school children.

The childlike innocence quickly disappeared as he kissed her again more passionately than before. He pushed her back to the sand and brought his body up over hers. They rolled around for what seemed like forever, grateful that the beach was beginning to clear out, and most of the families had left.

Eventually they both had to come up for air, and she lay her head on his chest as he rubbed her sand covered back.

"Making out in the surf? Who's cliche now?" she laughed, poking him in the side.

"Huh?"

" 'From Here to Eternity.' That movie from the '50s with Debora Kerr and Burt Lancaster. The scene where they are rolling around of the beach is one of the most iconic moments in film."

"Sorry, I missed that one. I just wanted to roll around on the sand with you."

She groaned at him in frustration.

He chuckled at her and rubbed some sand off her cheek.

"I wish we could stay like this forever."

He leaned up a bit and looked her in the eyes.

"Then come back to Seattle."

"I don't want to have this discussion, Alex."

"Izzie, I miss you. I need you. I hate the fact that you are 3,000 miles away from me. I can't kiss you good night. I can't hold you when I want to. I miss joking around with you at work, and I never go into the on-call rooms, because the only thing I can think of is how much I wish you were there with me. I'm lonely. I'm so lonely that Cristina and I have even sort of become friends. I'm that desperate."

He moves into a seated position next to her, elbows on his knees, looking out into the darkening Atlantic. In the distance, miles out over the water, he can see a storm blowing in. Lightning illuminated the clouds that had formed over the ocean.

She continues to lie on her back looking up into the purple and orange streaked sky directly above them.

"Iz, I watch Meredith and Derek, George and Lexie and Callie and Mark, and I'm jealous. They can see each other anytime. It kills me to walk into the kitchen and find Derek sitting on the counter and Meredith cooking ... or trying to cook. That's supposed to be us."

He looks at her, but she doesn't move. A lone tear falls from her eyes to the sand.

Finally she opened her mouth to speak.

"We should probably go. That storm will blow in faster than you think. We should get back to the car."

Izzie stood and offered her hand to Alex. He took it and stood up next to her. He expected her to let go of his hand and walk away, but she didn't. She gripped his hand as they walked back towards their things. The wind blew ferociously around them and neither one said anything. But Alex knew.

She wasn't going to walk away from him. She just wasn't ready to talk.


	10. Chapter 10

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Izzie shows Alex another aspect to her career in Savannah...the outreach clinics.

Reviews are Great!

* * *

"So where are we going, again?"

The rain pelted the windshield of the car, as they drove southwest out of the city.

"Its a tiny unincorporated farming town called Hollyton," she said . "Its the only outreach clinic that is running right now, but we're going to open more in a few months."

Izzie, dressed in a snug black tshirt and jeans, smiled as she talked.

The tension of the evening before had dissipated quickly when they returned to Izzie's apartment. She had cooked fettuccine and they enjoyed the meal from the couch watching old episodes of "I Love Lucy." Izzie proved to Alex that the conversation on the beach hadn't upset her by being the one to initiate the night of love making.

Alex grinned as he thought about how she had walked out of the bathroom in a forest green nightie, which she had tied at the waist with a gold tassel.

"Just call me Scarlett," she had said. "I didn't make it out of the drapes, but I figured you wouldn't complain."

He knew he'd never be able to watch "Gone With The Wind" with a straight face again, not that it was his type of movie to begin with.

Her voice brought him back to the car.

"Its only been running for a week and a half, and so far nothing too exciting has come in. Mostly its been lacerations needing sutures, stomach ailments, and ..." she looked at him with a smirk, "pesticide poisoning."

"I could have diagnosed that."

"Because of me!"

"Very true."

She continued to tell him about the clientele, noting that the area was populated mostly by poor farmers, and even poorer farm workers. Alex noted that all they were passing were acres of land filled with corn or peanuts or pecans. The cotton fields were barren because of the season.

The hour and a half drive ended when Izzie pulled her car into a muddy parking lot in front of a metal frame building. A small hardware and farm supply store sat on one side of it, and a gas station was on the other side. A grocery store was directly across the two lane highway, and that was it.

He followed her as she unlocked the door of the clinic. When they got inside he saw a clean waiting room decorated in browns and light blues. Beyond the reception desk, Alex could see that the rest of the clinic consisted of one wide open room with examination tables separated by curtains. In the very back was a walled off room, that he figured was used only in the most dire situations.

"Sara, one of our volunteer nurses will be here in a while, and Miss Mimi will be here soon, too. I can't wait for you to meet her. Dr. Adams is out of town. That's why I had to work here today rather than at the hospital."

"Iz, I told you. It's no problem. I knew when I came out here that you have a job that you have to do."

"I know. I just want to spend as much time with you as I can before you leave."

He walked to where she was standing behind the desk and touched her face. She had a sad look on her face as she fingered the buttons on his light grey shirt.

"Shhh. You're worrying about nothing. I enjoy watching you work. Sort of feels like old times."

He leaned down to place a kiss on her nose.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

"Hi, Miss Mimi!" Izzie said brightly.

The woman standing in front of them oddly reminded Alex of a much older Dr. Bailey.

"Now Dr. Izzie, you know the rules young lady. No fraternizing at work."

Izzie just laughed and pulled Alex over to meet her.

"Mimi Calhoun, this is Dr. Alex Karev. Alex, this is our receptionist extrordinaire Mimi Calhoun."

The short black woman stood back and sized up the handsome young man before her.

"You treatin' her right, boy?"

"I try to."

"That's not a good enough answer. 'Yes, ma'am' or 'No, ma'am' are your two options. No trying."

"Yes ma'am. I'm treating her right," Alex answered quickly, correcting himself.

She looked over at Izzie for confirmation.

"You'd better be, or I'd have to hunt you down with some willow switches."

A look of horror crossed Alex's face. Mimi really was like Dr. Bailey.

The two ladies stared at each other for a moment and then both dissolved into laughter.

"What?" Alex asked, very confused.

Shaking her head, Izzie walked away to look at some files, leaving Alex and Mimi behind the reception desk.

"I'm just messing you, boy. Somebody's got to look out for the pretty blonde doctor around here, and that somebody is me. She actually had told me a lot about you, so I know how good you are to her. I just wanted to scare you a little bit."

"Oh, you did, that's for sure."

"Just know though, if you do ever hurt her," the smile disappeared from her face, "I will hunt you down, you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You learn quick. I like you, boy."

She sat down at her desk and Alex moved over to where Izzie was standing. He sat down in a chair while she got her things organized for the day when a commotion outside caught his attention.

A teenage boy with scruffy blonde hair, wearing a red polo shirt and ratty jeans, was frantically talking to a woman who looked to be in her early forties. The woman was attempting to calm the boy down, but he wouldn't. Izzie saw the look on Alex's face and looked out the window.

"What on earth?"

Izzie and Alex ran outside, adrenaline coursing through them, rain pouring down in torrents.

"Sara? What's going on?"

"I don't know," the nurse shouted over the boy's cries. "He won't calm down enough to tell me."

Izzie walks up to the young man and gets right in his face. Alex stayed very close, not knowing what the kid's problem was.

"You're going to have to calm down, and tell me what's going on?"

"But ... she's ... can't ... don't know what to do."

"Okay. Shut up!" The panicked teenager stopped his loud rambling when Izzie yelled in his face. "I need you to tell me exactly what the problem is. Otherwise, I cannot help you."

He looked at her with tears glistening in his eyes.

"In the truck. She ... the baby."

Izzie looked at Alex and then they both rushed to the large pickup the boy pointed to, with Sara right behind them.

None of them were prepared for what they saw. A very young girl, maybe fourteen or fifteen, with tan skin and black hair was moaning quietly in the floor board with tears streaming down her face. Her hands were on her very swollen belly. She was barely conscious and clearly in a horrible amount of pain. There was some blood pooled beneath her.

"Sara, go get the gurney!"

Izzie got up in the driver's side seat, so that she could check the girls vital signs. Alex ran around the the passenger side door so that he could check on the baby.

"Her BP is low."

"She's lost some blood." Alex could tell exactly how much she had lost, but the amount that was on the floorboard was too much. He manuvered her so he could see what the problem was. "Oh, God."

"What?!" Izzie demanded.

"Baby's stuck on the pelvis. I can see the head, but ... we've got to get her inside."

At that moment, Sara returned with the gurney.

Alex gently moved the girl, and with the help of the nurse beside him, they moved her to the gurney. She screamed out in pain as they got her out of the truck, which caused the terrified boy, who had been looking on to rush forward.

"Marisol!"

"How long has she been in labor?" Alex demanded.

"Since last night. Maybe around nine."

"She's been in labor for nearly 12 hours! Why didn't you take her to the hospital?"

"Alex! Don't!" Izzie warned.

"Look, you've got to stand back, kid." Alex said harshly as they entered the clinic, drenched from the rain, and took her to the walled room in the back.

Mimi rushed over to the boy and made him sit down in a chair in the waiting room. Not sure if she could trust him not to stand back up, she sat down in the chair next to him and began to talk kindly to him.

"Sara, I need a BP and a pulse ox now!"

The nurse went to work, and Izzie moved down to where Alex was evaluating the situation.

"What do we need to do?"

He took the stethoscope from around Izzie's neck and listened to the baby's heartbeat. He shook his head.

"Baby's heart rate is really low. We've got to get it out right now."


	11. Chapter 11

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

This is a continuation of the last chapter, picking up immediately where it left off. Also, I have no medical knowledge, so ignore any obvious errors in that arena.

Please review!

* * *

"What about her? We need to do this in a hospital, not the clinic."

"I know. Stupid kid let her be in labor for hours and ... "

"She probably wouldn't let him take her. She's probably not here legally. It happens a lot around here. She didn't want to be deported."

Alex took a deep breath and looked at the girl on the gurney.

"Iz, look, she'll keep losing blood until we get the baby out. We've got to do a C-section."

"Are you sure the baby won't move?"

"The baby is completely stuck on her pelvis. It's not moving. The only chance that either of them have is for us to take the baby."

Their eyes locked for a moment, and she knew he was dead serious.

"Okay. Okay, let's do it."

"BP's down to 80/50."

"We've got to do this now."

"Sara, go to the supply room and get the cesarean kit and everything we'll need for surgery."

The nurse looked up at Izzie with trepidation.

"Go!" Izzie shouted, thankful she had thought to order one for the clinic.

"We can't put her under. We'll have to use a local," Alex noted.

Sara came back with the kit, as well as surgical drapes, gowns and gloves.

"Give her the local anesthetic just above the pelvis."

At that moment, the girl became more conscious and began yelling things in Spanish.

"Also, start an IV and give her a sedative."

Alex and Izzie went to sterilize their hands as well as they possibly could before preforming the surgery.

They moved back into the room, putting on their gloves and gowns.

"She's ready."

Without hesitation, Alex took the scalpel and opened up the girl's abdomen. He pulled her belly apart at the incision, knowing hie didn't have time to be gentle. He quickly located the baby and tried to maneuver it out of the birth canal.

"Iz, I need you to push the baby back up towards me. Do it gently."

She knew all of this of course, but she knew Alex was running this show. She did as she was told, but the baby wouldn't budge.

"BP's still falling."

"Dammit! Izzie, try again."

She moved the tiny head slightly left, and then felt it move back into its mother. Within seconds, Alex had pulled the bundle from its womb and held the baby boy in his arms. The child was blue, but was breathing. Alex handed the child off to Izzie, knowing that the mother was in more immediate danger.

Izzie quickly evaluated the baby.

"The boy's heart rate is rising. He's getting more color in his face." She used the smalled oxygen mask they had to get him breathing normally. "Come on, little guy."

They all breathed a sigh of relief when the baby let out a thin wail.

She turned her attention back to Alex.

"How's the mother."

"Give Sara the baby. I need you to come help me."

"What's wrong?" she asked as she handed the now whimpering newborn to the nurse and hurried to Alex's side.

"Her uterus is torn. She's bleeding too heavily."

"Damn." She immediately began helping Alex.

"Hold this clamp." Izzie followed his instructions, and watched as Alex skillfully began repairing the tear.

Soon the bleeding was under control and Alex as able to close up Marisol's stomach.

"You did it."

Izzie and Alex grinned ear to ear as they heard the ambulance arrive to take the mother and the baby to the hospital in Savannah.

Nine hours later, after spending the rest of the day at the clinic, Alex and Izzie walked into the hospital room that was occupied by the young Mexican girl and her baby. She was sleeping soundly, as was her baby. The teenage boy that had brought her to the clinic was seated in the chair next to the bed, snoring lightly.

Alex picked up the chart at the end of the bed, checking her stats and vital readings. She would pull through.

"Dr. Stevens."

Izzie and Alex turned at the sound of the voice from the doorway.

The man, clearly in his late fifties, wearing a pristine white lab coat, motioned for them to follow him.

"Dr. Hayes, this is Dr. Alex Karev, OB / neonatal surgical resident at Seattle Grace Hospital. Alex, This is Dr. Fletcher Hayes. He's the Chief of Staff here," Izzie said pointedly eyeing Alex.

The two men shook hands, but it was clear that Dr. Hayes was all business.

"You two performed the c-section on this girl?"

"Dr. Hayes, she was dying. I know that it wasn't the smartest thing to do, opening her up at the clinic, but honestly, she wouldn't have made it back in time. She was bleeding out. I've don't the procedure several times, and Alex has done it too many times to count. We knew our options, and we really had no choice. She would have died on the table. Her baby would have died. They're both alive now. That's what's important."

Alex just stood there and let her talk.

"Whoa, Dr. Stevens. I wasn't going to reprimand you. I was going to tell you that you made the right choice. You both knew that you were qualified to handle the situation, and you did. Dr. Karev, my chief of obstetrics was very impressed with how you handled the bleeding and the torn uterus. You have a real talent, young man."

"Thank you, Sir."

"But seeing as you don't work in this hospital and therefore are not covered by insurance, try not to cut anyone else open for the rest of your stay, all right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Dr. Fletcher," Izzie spoke up. "what's going to happen to Marisol?"

The Chief glanced back into the patient's room.

"INS will have to evaluate the situation. Her fate is in the hands of the government. Past that, its anyone's guess. The baby is half American, so it makes the situation more difficult. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Izzie nodded.

"Stevens," he turned to look at the tall blonde. "I know that you were already planning to be off on Wednesday. You did well today. You've been working so hard lately, you deserve a break. I want you to take the tomorrow and Thursday off too. I'll get your shifts covered. You two just enjoy the next few days."

The older doctor patted Alex on the back as he excused himself and walked back down the hallway. Izzie was left gaping in his wake.

"Did he really just give me two days off?"

"Yep."

Alex smiled and raised his eyebrows.


	12. Chapter 12

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Izzie and Alex get a surprising call from Seattle ... its kind of a short chapter and will be important to the sequel, which is already in production.

Also, this story is completely written, so the last 6 chapters should appear pretty quickly over the next several days, if people still seem to be interested, so please review!

* * *

Izzie planned to use Tuesday as a sightseeing day for Alex. He had been in Savannah for four days and had yet to really see what really made the town special. All he had seen was her apartment, the hospital, Alaniah, and Hollyton.

They slept until about nine and Izzie cooked breakfast.

They sat at her rarely used dining table, eating eggs and pancakes.

"I missed your pancakes almost as much as I missed the muffins."

"I'm seriously going to have to start mailing you muffins."

They smiled at each other, but further conversation was interrupted by Izzie's cell. She looked at the caller ID.

"The Hospital?"

"No. It's Meredith. ... Hello?"

"Izzie. Hi. How are you. How's Alex?"

"I'm fine, and he is eating my pancakes, so he's great."

"Well, at least he's getting fed better with you."

"I heard about your cooking attempts."

"Don't start. I'm too happy for you to start in on me about anything."

Alex finished his food and stood to take his and Izzie's plate to the kitchen to put them in the dishwasher.

"What are you in such a good mood for. It's like 5am in Seattle."

"That's why I called you. I had to talk to someone, and people around here would kill me if I called them this early in the morning."

"Which begs the question ... Why are you so happy? What happened to dark and twisty Meredith Grey."

"Izzie, you know that she went away a while ago. Also ..., its not Grey anymore."

It took a second for the comment to sink in.

"Wait, what?!"

Alex looked up from the kitchen at her exclamation.

"I'm not Meredith Grey anymore ... I'm Meredith Shepard."

"Seriously!?"

"Seriously."

"Wait. You had a wedding without me!"

"We went to the justice of the peace last night."

"No wedding? Meredith ... seriously!"

"Izzie. If you'll just listen for a minute ... "

The voice that answered was not Izzie's.

"Sorry Mer. She threw the phone at me and went to pout in the bathroom. So you got hitched, huh?"

"Yeah, it was sort of a spur of the moment thing. I think Izzie was expecting me to have a big formal affair with flowers and cake and crap."

"You're not the formal flowers and cake and crap kind of girl."

"Would you past that along to Izzie."

"Sure thing."

"And will you also tell her that, um, I'm pregnant."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. That's why we wanted a low key wedding."

"When are you due?"

"Not sure exactly. It's still pretty early. We're guesstimating around early March."

"Sounds about right."

"So how's Savannah?"

He heard the shower come on in the bathroom, so he knew Izzie would be a while.

"It's great. Mer, she's thriving here. I don't remember the last time I saw her this happy."

"I'm glad. Do you like the city?"

"It really is as nice as she said. It's hot as hell, but I don't worry about getting rained on all the time. I haven't seen a lot of the downtown area that is so famous, but that's on the agenda today."

"What have you been doing all this time? I know you haven't spent all of your time in bed. ... You haven't, have you?"

"No! We went to the beach, hung out on a, uh, farm, and performed an emergency c-section at a clinic at what is quite possibly the edge of civilization."

"Alex!"

"Okay, maybe not quite, but it was close."

"I'm glad you are having fun. Look, I need to go. Tell Izzie not to be mad at me about the wedding. She can go crazy with the flowers and cake and crap at her own wedding."

The thought of Izzie in a white gown briefly entered Alex's thoughts.

"Tell her to call me whenever. Bye, Alex."

"Bye, Mrs. Shepard."

"That's Dr. Shepard, Karev!"

"Bye, Mer."

"Later, Alex."

He finished cleaning up the kitchen while he waited for Izzie to finish her shower. When she did, she sliently fixed her hair and got dressed. She reentered the kitchen in a short denim skirt and pink tank top and white flip flops.

"Shower's yours," she said as she sat on the bar stool glumly.

"Iz."

"What?!"

"Are you still mad at Meredith?"

"No," she lied.

"Izzie."

"Fine. I love weddings. I was going to help Meredith make plans. We had even talked about it. She said she wanted simple, and I almost had her sold on daisies because they weren't as formal as roses. I had plans, and she knew how important it was to me to be able to help her with it. And then she and McDreamy go off and get hitched at the courthouse!"

"If you had just let her explain, rather than hurling the phone at me, you might understand why they did it."

"What are you talking about, Alex? She's just being selfish like she always has been."

"Izzie, she's pregnant."

She just stared at him in surprise.

"She tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. That's why they wanted something small and low key."

"She's having a baby?"

He nodded as he watched the frown on her face slowly change shape. If there was one thing Izzie liked more that weddings, it was babies. Soon she had a full on smile on her face.

"I've got to call her and apologize!"

He handed the phone to her and she moved into the living room to talk to Meredith. He finished up in the kitchen and as he moved toward the bathroom, he overheard Izzie say something about a "huge baby shower."

Shaking his head, he chuckled to himself, thinking that somethings really never change.


	13. Chapter 13

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Izzie and Alex explore Downtown Savannah, and make a new friend.

Please review. Those are coming few and far between now ... :(

* * *

Izzie took him to lunch at a cafe in historic Downtown Savannah, and Izzie could see that Alex was impressed by the grandeur of the area.

"Most of the buildings here are close to 200 years old. Outside Savannah, there aren't a lot of houses this old left in the state. Most were destroyed during the Civil War when Sherman marched to the sea. Savannah was spared only because the mayor of the city surrendered three days before Christmas before any damage could be done. Sherman called it his Christmas present to Lincoln."

Alex just stared at her with this incredulous look on his face.

"What?"

"Since when have you become such a history buff."

"You can't really live in a city like this and not be fascinated by the history of it. People from around here can go on and on about the historical value of that building or this one. It really is charming. Plus, if there is one thing I have learned about Southerners, it is that they are proud of the past."

"Even a war they lost 150 years ago?"

"Yep."

"You really do love it here, don't you?"

"Yeah. I do." She smiled. "I love the people. I love the hospitality. The city is unbelievably beautiful and I'm getting used to the weather and the bugs. Plus I love my job. I feel like I am making a real difference in the lives of the people here ... far more that I ever was back in Seattle."

"You're happy, then?"

She sighed at the sad look on his face.

"Alex," she warned.

"Okay."

The silence that fell over them was a bit tense, but they recovered quickly.

"So what's the plan for the rest of today?"

"Well, I figured we could walk around here for a while. There are some great antique shops and art galleries and book stores."

"Okay, but of Sloan or Shepard ever find out I went antique shopping ... "

"No one will ever know." She smirked at him as she took a bite of her salad.

"Let's go somewhere really nice for dinner."

"You want to go somewhere that you have to dress up for dinner?"

"Well, really, I just want to see you all dressed up, so for that, I'll put on a suit."

"Okay. I know just the place."

After lunch, they spent the next few hours walking around the meandering downtown shopping district, stopping in random stores just because. They watched horse-drawn carriages move placidly down the street, and he saw Izzie's eyes light up, but she said nothing. They continued walking.

They were walking past a jewelry store, when something caught Alex's eye.

"Hey, come here," he said as he grabbed her arm pulling her inside the store.

"Alex! What are you doing?"

The old man behind the counter smiled kindly at the two attractive young people who had just entered his store.

"What can I do for you young folks?"

"The opal earrings, in the window. Can we look at them?"

"Alex!" Izzie protested. "I ... "

"Certainly," the old man cut her off as he moved slowly to the window. "You aren't from around these parts, are you?"

"Seattle, but she lives here now."

"Oh, a transplant. What do you do around here young lady?" He unlocked the case that held the earrings.

"I'm a doctor. I run a clinic at one of the hospitals here in town."

"Well, nice to meet you Dr. ..."

"Stevens. Izzie Stevens." She smiled at the sweet, but very elderly man as he sat the jewelry on the counter in front of them. "And this is Alex Karev."

"I'm Elijah Matthews, but my friends call me Eli. You can call me Eli."

He gestured to the earrings, and she looked at Alex.

"Go on, Iz."

She looked them over carefully as the two men began to make small talk.

"So what do you do in Seattle?"

"I'm a doctor, too."

"Really. Thought about being a doctor myself for a while, but I took over the store when Pa died. I've been running it for the last 70 years. I met my Myrtle in this store."

"Your wife?"

"The love of my life. ... No, she was my life, for two years. We were just teenagers. But before we could get married, she became a nurse, went over to Hawaii to work for the military during the war. Pearl Harbor happened, and ... God rest her soul."

Alex could see the sadness in his green eyes.

"Let me tell you something, son. Once you find someone special, don't let anything keep you apart. You never know when you might lose her."

The white-haired man looked pointedly at Izzie. Alex just nodded as he watched the blonde turn to him.

"They're beautiful. But are you sure?" she asked holding the earrings carefully.

"Absolutely. Will you wrap them up for us, Eli?"

"Of course."

Eli took the jewelry from Izzie and turned around to the counter behind him. Alex looked around the rest of the store, while Izzie busied herself by looking at the pieces of finery that were encased in the glass counter she had been leaning on while inspecting the earrings.

From behind her, Alex saw her zero in on something shiny in the counter.

The ring almost took Izzie's breath away. It wasn't huge, but it was exquisite. A princess cut diamond, flanked by two smaller identical diamonds, surrounded by a beautiful antique scrollwork setting. It was gorgeous.

"Here you go, doctors," Eli said as he turned around and placed the package in front of Izzie. She looked up quickly so as not to be caught looking at the diamond ring. She felt Alex walk up behind her.

"Thank you, Eli."

"Don't thank me, thank him."

She turned and kissed Alex on the cheek, as Eli put the package in a bag and handed it to her.

"Thank you."

She walked to the other side of the store, allowing Alex to pay for the earrings.

The older man took his credit card, while Alex looked at the ring that he knew had caught Izzie's attention.

"It's a beauty, Dr. Karev."

"Huh?"

Eli pointed at the diamond.

"Yeah. Yeah it is."

He looked back at the old man, and a look of understanding passed between them.

"Here's your reciept. You kids have a good rest of the day, understand?"

"Yes, Sir. Iz, You ready to go?"

"Uh huh. Bye, Eli! Nice to meet you."

"You too. Come back to visit me anytime."

Eli laughed under his breath as he watched the pair hurry across the street.


	14. Chapter 14

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

Still more sights for Alex to see ...

Please review!!

* * *

Dinner was spectacular, a five star meal all the way, but Alex didn't really taste much of it. He was too busy staring at the gorgeous woman across the table from him.

Izzie was wearing a figure-hugging strapless cranberry colored dress, her long blonde locks curled perfectly around her face and shoulders. Her shapely legs looked perfect under the knee-length hem of the dress, while silver shoes showed off a french pedicure. Her neck and ears were adorned with the precious opals.

Izzie was equally entranced by Alex, looking more handsome than ever in his black suit. Anytime she saw him in a suit, her mind immediately went back to the first time she saw him in one. She didn't remember much about that night, but she did remember the man in the suit lifting her up off her fiance's bed and comforting her. Oddly, now she was able to smile at the memory.

The beautiful couple recieved stares as they walked out of the restaurant, which was across the street from spectacular Forsyth Park. Izzie was caught off guard when Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her across the street toward the park.

"Alex, where are we going?"

"You'll see."

He walked her down the sidewalk a ways. When he stopped, she found herself standing in front of an antique horse-drawn carriage. The driver, a middle aged man with a handlebar mustache, wearing period clothing, was standing to the side and held out his hand to her.

"You did this?" she asked as she turned to Alex.

"I saw your eyes light up when we walked past one today. Plus, I thought it might be fun."

She swung her arms around his neck and giggled into his ear as he embraced her.

"Come on, lets get going."

The night was warm and a little bit humid, but to Izzie it was perfect.

She snuggled her head into Alex's shoulder and just took in the city at night.

"Thank you."

He looked down at her with a smile.

"I've wanted to do this since I moved here, but its not exactly the type of thing you want to do alone," she continued.

"You're welcome."

He kissed her forehead and brought her even closer to him.

Suddenly, she burst out into a little giggle.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Iz."

"I was just thinking back to the first time we met. You called me babe and told me I wouldn't make it a year in the program."

Alex grimaced at the memory.

"And then the next day you called Meredith a nurse."

"And knowing her like I know her now, I am very grateful to be alive after I said that."

She laughed again.

"Whatever happened to that jackass of a man?"

"He found someone that made him want to be a respectable adult." he touched her cheek softly with his thumb. "He grew up. Realized what is important. Took responsibility for his actions."

She knew he was right. He had grown up a lot, particularly since the whole thing with Rebecca.

"I'm glad."

"You know what I'm thinking about?"

"What's that?"

"The first time I kissed you."

A big smile appeared across her face.

"You know what I never told you about that?" she asked.

"What?"

"That was the singularly greatest kiss of my entire life."

"Me too."

"Although, you could try to top it anytime."

They smiled and he lowered his lips to hers.

They continued their journey, and Izzie and the carriage driver pointing out the points of interest along the way.

"That's Chippewa Square," the driver, who's name was Guy, said as he maneuvered the carriage through the maze of statue-filled squares. "it was laid out in 1815 and was the social center of the town for many years."

"Part of Forrest Gump was filmed there, Alex," Izzie added. The man holding her couldn't help but be a little impressed when she mentioned that parts of one of his favorite movies had been filmed right there. "That's the bench."

The horse pulling their ride clomped down the brick covered streets

They passed Bonaventure Cemetery and the Lowe house, but Alex couldn't keep his eyes away from Izzie for long. And the words of Elijah Matthews kept repeating in his head.

"Once you find someone special, don't let anything keep you apart."

Sooner than they had hoped, their little trip around historic Savannah was over, and Guy dropped them off near their car.

He opened the passenger door for her, pausing briefly.

"I love you, Izzie."

She responded with a kiss that rivaled their first, ignoring the jealous stares of other couples in the parking lot.


	15. Chapter 15

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

At the Fourth of July barbecue, Alex makes more friends in Savannah.

Reviews please!

* * *

The Fourth of July dawned hot and sticky in Savannah.

Alex and Izzie had decided to sleep in. It was noon before they finally got out of bed and took a shower.

"I honestly don't remember the last time I slept that late. I feel lazy!" Izzie said as she dried herself off with her favorite fluffy green towel.

Alex laughed as he wrapped a blue towel around his waist. He grabbed his toothbrush and proceeded to wash away the morning breath that Izzie was always nagging him about.

"You're a regular bum, Iz," he said through the minty-fresh bubbles.

"Shut up, Alex!"

She exited the bathroom with a grin on her face, and moved to her closet. She chose a light-weight yellow floral sundress. Pulling the dress off of the rack, she picked up a pair of brown sandals and walked back into the bedroom.

"Another sundress?"

"And why not? It's going to feel like it is 115 degrees today. Sundresses are airy and light."

"Believe me, I'm not complaining. It's just you've adopted this whole new wardrobe since you moved here. I like it. Plus, I think you look hot in them."

She groaned at his pun as she felt his hands go around her waist.

"You know what's even hotter?"

"What?"

"You NOT in a sundress."

His hands moved to where her towel was held in place, and he quickly deposited it on the floor, landing them back in bed.

Forty five minutes later, Izzie was in the kitchen, donning her yellow sundress, much to Alex's dismay. She had straightened her hair into a neat ponytail and tied it back with a brown satin ribbon.

She was icing the last of the three dozen cupcakes she had made the night before. She knew the Whalarmans were having the barbecue catered, but she also knew that there would be a ton of kids around, so of course she made cupcakes.

"Need any help?"

She looked at Alex who was sitting at a bar stool, clad in khaki cargo shorts and black tshirt.

"Nope, I'm just about done."

"Can I have one?"

"How old are you supposed to be? 7?" She smiled at his almost whining tone.

He looked at her with a face that he knew she couldn't resist. His soft pout was too much, and she giggled as she put the cupcake that she had just finished icing in front of him.

"Mmmm. Chocolate."

"You really are 7."

"But you love me anyway."

"Izzie! Alex! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Carolyn Whalarman spotted them as soon as they followed the flag lined pathway to the big open pasture to join the party.

They were both a little amazed at sight before them. Three huge tents were set up in the middle of the pasture, housing two rows of long tables. Beyond the tents were three large blow up games for the kids. A seven large flags were lined along one end of the field. Clowns were surrounded by boys and girls. Pony rides were set up near the barn. Music blared over a PA system. A huge buffet table sat near the entrance it was already filled with snacks, the meal to follow later.

"Carolyn, this is amazing!"

Izzie and the smaller woman exchanged a hug.

"Come here, handsome."

Alex was soon had Carolyn's arms wrapped around his neck. He hugged her back as Daniel came around the corner.

"Hands off, Karev," the older man drawled, grin on his face.

"Oh, tish-tosh, Dan. I hugged him. I guarantee you there is not a woman in a 50 mile radius that would blame me."

Alex blushed and Izzie giggled at the older couple's banter.

"I brought cupcakes for the kids."

"Oh, Izzie, you didn't need to do that! Its not like I'm having to do the cooking and baking," Carolyn said.

"Why do you think we hire a caterer," Daniel mumbles under his breath, earning him a smack on the shoulder from his wife's right hand.

"I know, but I wanted to."

"Well, let's go put them on the table with the rest of the snacks."

The ladies walked away, and Daniel slapped Alex on the back and motioned for him to follow.

"Someone you need to meet."

Alex walked a step behind Dr. Whalarman as they headed toward the beverage table, where there was a group of four men standing around.

"Chance!"

"Danny Boy!"

"I want you to meet Dr. Alex Karev of Seattle Grace Hospital in Washington state. Alex, this is Dr. Chancey Bingham."

The two men shook hands.

"Dr. Karev."

"Alex, please. Its an honor to meet you Dr. Bingham."

"Oh, please. Call me Chance."

"And this is Dr. Truman Wyatt, Dr. William Smith, and you've met Dr. Fletcher Hayes."

He shook all of the pro-offered hands.

"Alex is finishing up his second year of surgical residency."

"Really. Have you picked a specialty, yet?"

"That's why I wanted you to meet him, Chance. He's OB / neonatal."

"He did a heck of job on a solo emergency c-section out at one of our outreach clincs earlier this week. Very impressive for someone his age." Dr. Hayes spoke up.

"Is that right?" Alex nodded, a little embarrassed by the attention. "Well, welcome to the club. How'd you decide on OB?" Chancey asked.

"Well, I was hell-bent on going into plastics ... "

"Ah, yes. The allure of hot women, fast cars and quick money, right?"

"Right. I got the chance ... rather, I was forced to spend quite a bit of time working on the OB floor with Addison Montgomery-Shepard ... "

"You worked with Addie?"

"You know her?"

"We've spoken at a lot of the same conferences over the years. She's a smart one ... not to mention she's hot."

The other men standing around laughed, and Alex could only smile, ignoring his physical history with Addison.

"Anyway, she taught me everything from scratch. I didn't want to learn a thing, but I guess she saw something in me. After she left Seattle, I just kind of kept gravitating towards OB cases. Now I can't imagine doing anything else."

"You must be good if Addie saw potential in you. She's sharp and she knows talent when she sees it. Can't say the same about her taste in men, but, whatever."

Alex decided it was time to steer the conversation away from Addison. He was about to change the subject when the gaze of the men moved to something behind him. He felt a light touch on his shoulder. He grabbed the hand without even looking, knowing that it would cause Izzie to giggle.

"Izzie! Now it's a party!"

"Shut up, Daniel," the blonde beauty responded.

"Chance, this is Alex's girlfriend, Dr. Isobel Stevens. She runs the clinic at the hospital."

They shook hands as they were introduced.

"I've heard about your work, young lady. Sounds like you are doing good things here."

It was Izzie's turn to blush.

"I'm trying. There's still a lot to be done, but we're getting there."

"Well, stick to it."

"I plan to do that, sir."

With that, she gave Alex a peck on the cheek, retrieved a bottle of water from a cooler and walked back to where Carolyn and some of the other ladies were standing.

"Absolutely beautiful," Dr. Bingham said to no one in particular after she left them. "You're a lucky, lucky man Karev."

Alex out his back up straight, as he was hit with a sudden burst of protectiveness.

"How'd you two meet?"

"Internship at Seattle Grace."

"Let me guess, you met, immediately liked each other, and started dating and you've been inseperable ever since."

"Not really," Alex replied. "She pretty much couldn't stand the sight of me to begin with, and I can't really blame her. I was an arrogant jackass. I see that now. I don't like like that I was that person, but I can't change my past."

"Surgery takes some arrogance Karev. Don't ever lose it entirely."


	16. Chapter 16

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

The barbecue brings about fireworks for Izzie and Alex ... both literally and metaphorically.

Reviews appreciated!

* * *

"All right, everybody. I want to welcome you to the Whalarman's 5th Annual Fourth of July Barbecue." Carolyn Whalarman's voice echoed over the PA system. "Dinner is just about ready, so we will form the lines on either side of the food tables. I want y'all to have a great time tonight, so eat up, get to know some new people and just have a good time. The fireworks will start at 9. Enjoy!"

Alex looked around and spotted Izzie sitting on a blanket with Alana and Mariah. They got up and walk toward him, and all four headed for the buffet line. Plates were soon filled with barbecue chicken and pork, hamburgers, coleslaw, green beans, corn and macaroni and cheese.

They returned to the blanket where Carolyn was waiting.

"Thank you so much for taking the girls through the line. I've just got so much going on as it is."

"It was no problem at all."

"Mama, can we go sit with Kelly and Bridget and Chandler?"

Carolyn looked to where Mariah was pointing, and nodded with a big smile. Both girls took off toward their friends.

"Well," she turned back to Izzie and Alex. "I'll give you two some alone time. Hope you enjoy the food."

"I'm sure we will. It smells delicious!"

Carolyn turned to go, but stopped short and looked back at them with a smile.

"I thought you might want to watch the fireworks display from someplace special. See that path behind the fence?" she pointed.

The couple looked and nodded.

"Well, that leads back to a secluded spot that you two might enjoy. Just follow the path and you 'll know when you find it,"

With that, she left with a wink.

They sat and talked quietly on their blanket during dinner as the sun began to disappear beneath the pines. Thirty minutes before the show began, Alex helped Izzie stand up and wandered through the crowd, readying themselves to be mesmerized by the lights in the sky.

With her head on his shoulder and his arm tightly wrapped around her waist, they headed off down the dirt path that Carolyn told them about. The light breeze was whispering through the tall pines and the nearly full moon was just beginning to show up from behind the branches.

"I'm glad you came to visit me. I missed you."

He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad I came, too."

"Oh! Look!"

Alex had been so busy staring at the woman in his arms that he was surprised by Izzie's excited outburst. He looked ahead to where she was pointing. The path had given way to a clearing that surrounded a small lake. A white wooden bridge connected a tiny island in the middle of the water to the shore. On the island sat a magnificent magnolia tree, towering 30 feet into the night sky. Outlining the lake were about forty weeping willows, grouped at random intervals around the shore.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the lake, across the bridge and onto the island. Some of the branches of the magnolia tree had twisted and turned their way to the ground, nature creating a perfect bench.

Izzie sat on the thick branch, still holding Alex's hand. He stood in front of her staring into her deep chocolate eyes. He moved both hands to her face, then placed his lips on hers. As they sat in the middle of a lake, under a magnolia tree, an explosion in the air caught them by surprise.

They turned their eyes toward the sound and watched as the sky turned red and green and white with fireworks. Alex moved to sit next to her on the branch, putting his arm around her shoulders.

They sat in silence for a few moments, enthralled with the show in the sky, before he leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"I don't want to say goodbye tomorrow."

She turned to look at him, and saw the sadness in his eyes. She didn't want to have this discussion, but she knew there was no more putting it off.

"I don't want to either. But we'll be okay. It's been okay for the last month."

"But that's the thing. I can't take a week off every month, Iz. You know that."

She backed away from his embrace, and looked down at her hands in her lap.

"I know," she responded quietly.

"You know there is still a place for you at Seattle Grace."

Her eyes opened wide at his suggestion and she pulled away from him, standing up and facing him in shock at his suggestion.

"Alex! You know I can't do that! You've seen how important the clinic is here... I can't leave."

"This isn't your home, Izzie. Seattle is. Your friends are there. I'm there."

"Alex, Don't!"

There were tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't look at him in that moment.

"Don't you think I know that Seattle is home? I know that more than you think. But I also know that I have more to do here. Right now, Savannah is my home. I like it here. No. No ... I love it here. I am finally doing something with my life. You have to understand that."

He moved toward her suddenly, placing his hands on her bare shoulders.

"I do understand, Iz. I just don't want to be apart from you! Dammit, it kills me to think about not seeing you for months. Phone calls can only mean so much."

"Then transfer here. I can talk to ... "

"I don't have a life here, Izzie. My career, my life is in Seattle!" He was practically yelling

Her face fell.

"So your career is more important than mine. More important than me, Alex! I get it." She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and backed out of his grasp. "At least now I see where we really stand."

She dared to look into his eyes for only the briefest of moments, and turned on her heel and walked quickly across the bridge. He stood frozen as the cruel words he had spoken replayed through his head. She was all the way across the clearing before he could will his feet to move.

She hurried down the path, tears staining her face. Grateful that her dress had a pocket, she reached for her car keys. She bypassed the party, ignoring the crescendoing explosions over her head, and moved straight to where she parked her car. She was almost home free when she hear footsteps behind her.

"Izzie! Wait! Stop. Please," he yelled.

Refusing to let him see her cry, she continued to look ahead and walk forward. She felt a hand on her shoulder when she was only steps from the car.

"Will you just talk to me."

"Alex, you said plenty back there. More than enough, I'd say. Now leave me alone."

"Iz, I didn't mean what I said!"

Anger erupted inside her, forcing her to turn and face him. He backed away slightly when he saw her firey eyes.

"How dare you. Do you think I'm stupid, Alex? I clearly may not know you as well as I thought I did, but one thing I am certain about you is that you are, above all else, honest. Damn the consequences. To hell with whoever gets hurt ... Just go home. Back to Seattle. Back to your career. Back to your life, since apparently I'm not a part of that any more. You have nothing keeping you here."

"Izzie, please!" he begged, trying to get close enough to touch her.

He knew when he had gotten too close. She stepped back and walked around the car, getting in to the drivers seat.

"Just go!" Her shout echoed the booming finale of the fireworks overhead

She quickly put the car in drive, leaving him standing there in the sudden silence. That silence was broken by a loud curse that surged through his body and out his mouth.

She was gone. He had driven her away ... again.

Alex stood frozen in place as he wiped the sweat and tears off his own face. He turned back toward the festivities. The people milling around, heading the opposite direction from him to their cars passed him in a blur.

Families smiling and laughing, couples happily holding hands. It made him want to run into the woods until they all went away, but he didn't. Making his way back over toward the beverage table, he grabbed a solitary beer left over in a cooler. He sat at one of the tables under the tents, no one else around, sipping the cold drink, wanting to forget.

"What are you doing here alone, Alex."

"Daniel. I, uh ..."

"Man, are you okay? You look like hell."

Alex remained silent as the older man eyed him closely.

"Where's Izzie?"

He looked out into the quickly emptying pasture, idly toying with the label on the bottle in front of him.

"She's gone."

Dr. Whalarman pulled up the chair next to Alex and sat down.

"What happened?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. Do you think you could call me a cab?"

"And where do you want the cab to take you? Back to Izzie's? Look, I don't know what happened, but I'd take bets from the way you look that she really doesn't want to see you right now."

Alex looked over at the other man, trying to act as if he was insulted, but he knew Daniel was right.

"How did you ... "

"I've been married for eleven years. Trust me. You need to give her space right now. Why don't you stay here tonight. We'll get you back to town tomorrow after Izzie's had time to calm down."

He shook his head.

"I couldn't put you out."

"Dude. You have seen the house, right? I think we've got space for you."

"You sure it's no trouble?"

"None at all. I'll tell Carolyn and we'll get a room ready for you. Come on."

Alex looked around the field now completely abandoned, with the exception of the cleaning crew.

"I'll stay here for right now if you don't mind."

"Sure. We'll be up for a while. Just come on in the back door when you get ready."

"Thanks, man."

Finally Alex was left to his thoughts.

He knew he had been stupid to say what he said, but he was being honest. She had been right about that too. He lived in Seattle. His career was in Seattle. Why should he leave?

The raging battle in his head silenced briefly and the crickets chirping in the background got his attention.

Crickets.

Izzie's nickname. He remembered that he had laughed at her when she told him that her mother called her Cricket.

He had a choice to make. She had given him a choice, and he had blown it. She gave him the options of his life in Seattle or her.

Suddenly it hit him. He stood, threw his beer bottle in a nearby trash can and walked toward the house.


	17. Chapter 17

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

This is a very short, but necessary chapter. I had to set up the last chapter, which is coming soon.

Alex figures it all out.

Reviews, please!

* * *

Alex woke from a restless sleep feeling as though he were being watched. It took him a second to realize where he was, and why he was still wearing the clothes he had on the day before. He looked up to find two little girls standing at the foot of his bed.

"Did you make Miss Izzie mad? Why did she leave you here last night without a ride? Did you say something stupid?"

"Mariah!" her sister whispered from beside her.

"Well, did you?"

Alex couldn't help but be reminded a little of Cristina when the smaller girl crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I, uh ... well ... "

"Girls! Stop interrogating Mr. Alex, and go downstairs to help your mother with breakfast."

Daniel Whalarman appeared behind the girls in the doorway.

Alana immediately did as she was told, but Mariah protested.

"But if he said something stupid, he needs to apologize!"

"Mariah Lynn. Go!" She turned and left with a pout.

Alex exited the bed as Daniel leaned against the door frame.

So what are you going to do, man?"

"I know what I have to do. I can't live without her. Don't want to." He sat back down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his fingers through his short hair. "I don't have a job, here, so that's the first thing I have to take care of. Look, I know its a lot to ask but ... "

"Dr. Hayes wants you."

"Huh?"

"He wants you on his staff. He was very impressed with you when he saw your work on the hispanic girl. He knows you've got talent. He still has to look at your transcripts, but he wants to have you on our team. There is an OB / neonatal surgical residency slot that will open up at the end of this month. He wants you to take it. I told him I'd talk to you about it."

"Seriously?!"

"Yep."

"I need you to drive me to town."

"Back to Izzie's?"

"No. I have something I have to get. Do you think Carolyn could get Izzie out here later this afternoon? I know Izzie's pissed at me, but ..."

"Carolyn can be very persuesive. I think she can handle it. Come on. Let's go see if she made something edible for breakfast, and we'll figure all of this out."

A few phone calls and faxes later, Alex and Daniel headed into Savannah.

"I need to go somewhere and buy some new clothes, since I can't really go back to Izzie's to clean up. Then I need to make a stop downtown."

"What are you doing, Alex?"

"Getting my life back."

Dr. Whalarman accepted the answer and continued to drive down the interstate, country music playing softly on the radio in the older man's large, shiny pickup truck.

Later that day, the jingle of the bell on the door caused the old man to look up.

"Well, well. Dr. Karev. I was wondering when you'd be back."

"Hi, Eli," Alex said distractedly. He was busy looking down into the glass case in the counter. There were lots of diamonds, but the one he was looking for was no where to be seen.


	18. Chapter 18

**Opal Dreams and Magnolia Memories**

This is the final chapter of this story. No description this time. Just read to find out what happens ;)

Its been fun! Please review!

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"You left something here last night, Izzie."

The brunette woman handed the blonde a glass of sweet tea as they sat at the kitchen table in the house at Alaniah in the middle of the afternoon.

"Carolyn ... I don't want to talk about it."

"Then you can just listen. You have to give him a chance to explain. If you don't you are always going to wonder what was left unsaid. You can't keep avoiding him for the rest of your lives."

"It won't be that hard. I live here. He lives in Seattle. That's the problem."

"Do you really think ignoring him is the right way to go about living your life? You love him, I know you do. He love you too."

"Just not as much as his life in Seattle. His career. All priorities above me."

"You don't really believe that, do you, Izzie?"

"Maybe. I don't know what to believe. He hurt me last night."

"Has there ever been a time when you hurt him? Where you did something selfish that wound up causing him pain? Look Honey, It won't make it right, but you need to level the playing field in your own mind. You've both made mistakes."

"Yeah we have. Both of us. He slept with Olivia ... "

"You did nothing to hurt him?" Carolyn's honeysuckle sweet accent asked.

Izzie grimaced as she thought back. She spoke, not looking at her friend.

"I was engaged. A few years back. He was a patient, and ... I was purposely cruel. Alex had upset me, and I rubbed Denny in his face. When he died ... The only person who was able to get through to me was Alex. I mean, he literally picked me up when I couldn't stand, cheesy as that sounds. But I wasn't ready to be with him again ... after Denny. But I slept with my married best friend instead. I told Alex what had happened with George, thats the married best friend ... and I hurt him again. So he moved on with Rebecca. Which turned out to be a disaster for him. ... And then when I got this job, things were going so well. I screwed that up, too. I didn't tell him before I told the others. I should have, but I was scared."

"Of what?"

"That I was going to lose him again. I know that I was the one who made the choice to move, but I was too chicken to face him. I think I hurt him worse when I didn't tell him earlier."

"Probably. You can't hide things like that from the ones we love. But you made a mistake. You've clearly both made mistakes in the relationship. Sweetie, life is a cycle of doing the right thing and making mistakes."

"I blew him off last night. I didn't really even give him a chance to explain, not that he was doing a great job at that when I did give him an opening, but ..."

Carolyn could see the pain in the younger woman's eyes. She glumly fiddled with the rim of the glass filled with the sweet liquid she only recently acquired a taste for. Daniel moved into the kitchen catching Carolyn's eye. He remained silent as he began to search the fridge for a snack.

"Izzie, maybe you should go back to where the problem first started."

"It started when he tried to get me to give up my life here."

"You're not hearing me, dear. GO back to WHERE the problem started."

With that, Carolyn stood up, grabbed Daniel by the elbow and pulled him to the door to the den.

"Think about what I said. We're going to watch TV with the girls."

Izzie was left to dwell on what had just been said. What could Carolyn mean by "Go back the where the problem started"?

She got up and moved to look out the back door, still pondering. She watched as a ray of sun peeked out form under a puffy white cloud, shooting its light toward the edge of the open pasture that had been filled with a hundred people the night before. Her mind moved to their argument last night in the middle of that lake.

It hit her. "Where the problem started." Under that damned magnolia tree.

She stepped outside, trying to convince herself not to go. She knew he would be there, and it would hurt too much to see him after what he had said. But her curiosity won out. She walked down the steps of the patio, across the pasture and under the trees. Following the same path she had the night before, she prepared herself for what was coming. She knew they had to talk, no matter what the outcome.

From his place under the magnolia tree, Alex saw her before she saw him. Dressed in a short khaki skirt and a loose cream colored top that tied around her neck, he knew he was doing the right thing.

She was crossing the bridge before she spotted him. She froze in place in the middle of the wooden structure, unable to take another step.

He could tell she was still angry. But he could also see that the anger was edged with sadness.

"I'm glad you came."

"Alex, don't. Just tell me what it is that you want and lets get this over with."

"I wanted ... no, I needed to talk to you."

She remained silent, unmoving in front of him.

"Izzie. You have to listen to me. Please. For just one minute, forget all the crap that went on last night. Forget how stupid I was, and just listen to what I have to say right now. Please!"

She looked at him warily.

"You have three minutes."

"Look. You gave me a choice last night. My life in Seattle or you. My instinct, my selfishness wouldn't even let me hear you out. I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry for every word that came out of my mouth. I know that I'm still a jackass. At least I was last night. And believe me if I could take every word back, I would. But I can't do that. But I can't say I'm not glad about what happened last night ... "

"What the hell, Alex?"

"I still have time left, so listen," he said as he moved closer toward her, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

She blinked but stayed quiet.

"What we said, what you said last night made me realize that there really is no choice. Because you are my life. My life in Seattle means nothing because you aren't in it. Life doesn't exist without you, Izzie. Look, you and I, we've always been there for each other, and I can't imagine surviving the last year without you. I might not have. But you were always there. Without you, I wouldn't have life. You are my life. I don't want to try and live without you."

He was almost nose-to-nose with her when he finished talking.

"Marry me."

He took her hand and placed a brown velvet box in her palm.

Her eyes went wide and she looked down at what she was holding. She looked back up at Alex.

"But what about Sea ... "

"Dr. Hayes has offered me an OB / neonatal residency slot at the hospital here. I had my transcripts sent this morning. I have to wait for official word from the board, but if all goes as planned, I get to start at the end of this month. I'm saying goodbye to Seattle and hello to my life. Izzie ... "

"Yes!" she jumped into his arms, being careful to hold onto the box in her hand.

In only a moment, all of the feelings of anger and hurt and sadness had disappeared with his words. She had no doubt of his sincerity and knew he was telling the truth. And she knew that she loved him, and being with him was the only thing way she would ever find true happiness.

"I love you, too, Alex," she said between kisses.

He backed away.

"What?"

"Don't you want to see the ring?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

He took the box from her hand and open it for her to see.

She gasped when he did.

"Wha ... How did you know?"

"I caught you looking at it when you thought my back was turned. Eli held it for me pulled it out of the case right after we left the other day. He said he knew I'd be back."

"I'll have to thank him."

"He told me we have to stop by before I leave, so that he can see it on your finger. Which reminds me ..."

Alex grabbed her left hand and placed the antique ring on her ring finger. A perfect fit.

She kissed him again, but his words hit her.

"You're leaving tonight."

"In about five hours. Yeah."

He placed his forehead against hers, and stared into her eyes.

"But I'll be back in a few weeks, Iz. You don't have to worry. My life is here now. With you."

She smiled up at him, knowing that forever was staring back at her.


End file.
